The world is so contrary, it's just in an awful state
There's things I want to do but Nature won't cooperate
I fuel my Briggs and Stratton to make watts come out the jack
But each gallon that goes in don't even give a quart's worth back

(refrain)

You know I just can't win for losing, send all that money up the flue
I'm dogged by entropy and singin' the Second Law of Thermodynamics blues.

Got tired of all those losses so I took another shot
Fired up a boiler and made steam that's blazing hot
Three turbines and two reheats, went to lengths that seem absurd
But from what I put in I'm only gettin' back a third

(refrain)

Old two-faced Mother Nature tries to come off nice and sweet
But she's a cold cold woman and she wants to grab your heat
Built me up a fuel cell, made a sacrifice to Zeus
But Nature grabs two-fifths that she won't let turn to juice

(refrain)

I use cogeneration 'cause I hate to play the fool
As long as I need heat then nothing's "lost", so it's all cool
But it's dollars up the flue if I don't need to warm my toes
And everything ends up as heat, that's just the way it goes

You know the world can't win for losin', it doesn't matter what you do
We're dogged by entropy and singin' the Second Law of Thermodynamics blues.